I have to painfully admit that this morning’s royal ceremony brought me to tears. However, this little girl managed to make me laugh between sobs. Grace Van Cutsem, age 3, is the goddaughter of Prince William and the daughter of Lady Rose Astor and Hugh van Cutsem. She stole the show during the royal kiss by looking less then enthusiastic with the loud noises and billions of screaming people.

The Red Sox were off to a 2-9 start. The Celtics couldn’t stand themselves up at the end of the regular season. The one bright spot Boston had was the most unlikely of heroes- The Bruins.

But now in late April, it’s a great time to be a Boston sports fan. The Red Sox have crawled out of whatever rock they were living under to go from that dismal 2-9 start to a 10-12 record. Over the last 9 games, their starting pitchers have an ERA of just over 1, a pleasant surprise to the Fenway Faithful, not to mention the bats starting to come alive.

The Celtics are waiting for their next opponent, as they swept the New York Knicks with ease in the first round of the NBA postseason. And with the Big Shamroq on his way back to the court, they could be singing McFadden and Whitehead by next week.

Game 7 was forced by the Montreal Canadians, but the Bruins are bringing the battle back to home ice tonight in hopes of moving on in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

Best chance for success? Has to be the Bruins. They have too much talent to not do well this postseason, and once they clear Montreal, their momentum is going to help them melt the ice under their opponents.

There’s always something to talk about when it comes to William Lantigua. The Lawrence mayor is being investigated by federal and state authorities on allegations of corruption involving everything from weapons to narcotics, according to the Boston Globe.

The FBI, the Essex district attorney, and other agencies are looking into Lantigua’s dealings with companies that work for the city and into his ongoing public battle with the Lawrence Police Department, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Authorities are also interested in his connections to half a dozen bars, night clubs, and his control over taxi and towing permits with the city.

Lantigua naturally denies the allegations and is certain he’ll be found innocent, saying “There is nothing to hide … I am standing here today to say there is no corruption in my administration.” Even if he is innocent, the allegations have strengthened efforts to get the mayor recalled. The group leading this movement is called “It’s Your Right,” and they accuse Lantigua of being an incompetent mayor and bully who divides the Whites and Latinos of the city.

This is the toughest challenge Lantigua has faced since becoming mayor. He’s managed to land on his feet throughout several other trials, so I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him somehow get out of this mess. Still, even if he’s proved innocent, I doubt he’ll be reelected for another term.

With the option to write messages to other users, a constantly updated news feed, and the unspoken pressure to obtain as many friends as possible, “Moshi Monsters” seems to have certain qualities that Facebook possesses.

“Moshi Monsters” is the first social network that children can play on before they are old enough to be introduced to Facebook. Michael Acton Smith, the CEO of the company Mind Candy, describes how “Moshi Monsters” is an online program that targets the general desires of children to win games, socialize, and discover a new world of monsters. He also explains the purpose for creating “Moshi Monsters” by saying that they,

basically tried to re-imagine a Facebook for children under 12…that is as popular for kids as Facebook is for grownups. Kids like communicating and showing off and sharing as much as grown ups do.

Photo Credit: Gamersgame.com

Children, ages five to twelve, are given a choice of monsters to choose from and design to their liking.

Users of this program commonly friend other “owners” and communicate with these individuals by going to their monster’s “homes” and writing on bulletin boards that are provided in each house. These messages can consist of any content unless it includes personal information or is reported by another user.

This sort of communication and pressure to friend others seems to resemble the Facebook phenomenon that has overcome our society. But how similar are these programs? Did Mind Candy make the child-targeting Facebook they dreamed of creating?

On the plus side, kids are given a contract to agree to that asks for users to play safe, respect the Moshi community, refrain from bullying or rude behavior, and also to refrain from cheating or scamming. The child must then create an “owner name” and password, provide his or her age, and also provide an email address from either the child or a parent depending on the age of the applicant.

But let’s be honest. These online questions aren’t going to keep a kid from friending creepers and becoming obsessed with knowing other people’s business. With parental supervision, however, this could arguably be a beneficial way to prepare children for what Facebook has in store for them.

On the evening of April 16th, around dusk last Saturday, Emmanuel residents of the basement of Julie Hall arrived to notice muddy footprints from the window sill, across the bed, and in a distinguished circle on the rug.

Students, Tara Brewer and Lauren Sabra, saw the evidence first. Neither believed this was some sort of prank, and quickly succumbed to the fact that their room had been intruded.

The Boston Police and department detectives arrived at the scene not long after it occurred, scanning the room for evidence.

“That’s what TV will do these days, the footprints, we can’t do anything with those” said detective unknown.

To me, it appeared as a planned robbery by an insider. The replacing of the window back to its original position after the robbers left, spikes my suspicion.

Any Emmanuel resident knows that the constraints of the windows are secured by a stationed lock, stopping it from lifting.

Unfortunately, security never thought of putting cameras on their side of the building. Also for what time of day it occurred, in relation to the plans of all the roommates then, the escape seems of a collaboration involving personal knowledge and not of a threatening street thug(s), but who’s to say.

Let’s face it, finding an apartment in the city, on a budget can be tough. Realtors are constantly spewing info at you, boyfriends are too indecisive, and finding a place that doesn’t smell like human feces can be a bit overwhelming. So, here are a few tips to keep all you college students within your budget and stress free (for the most part).

1. Lower your standards. No apartment is going to be everything you want and more, if you’re paying the bill. Pick one thing that is a must such as a large bedrooms, and choose to sacrifice others.

2. Research your realtor. Don’t believe everything you read on Yelp, but use it as a guide to weed out the really bad places that want to squeeze you for all you’re worth. Once you’ve chosen a realtor, give them a specific criteria of what you’re looking for and tell them you don’t want to see any places that don’t fit your budget.

3. Ask questions. Bring a notebook with you and a set of questions to ask the realtor about the apartment. Example: What’s included in the rent? Is there security? Who and where is the landlord located?

4. Take pictures or write down descriptions of each place. If you’re like me, you’ll forget what features each apartment had once you get home.

5. Act fast. Once you find the place you love stop looking and take it off the market. I’ve had one too many apartments rented right under my nose because I took too long to make a decision.